Kulluk response cost up to $90 million The bill for freeing the Kulluk has reached $90 million, according to an announcement in London from the chief financial officer of Royal Dutch Shell PLC. Shell held its annual results conference in London, last week, and CFO Simon Henry told shareholders that his company has budgeted $40 million for salvage operations alone. The $40 million I mentioned is the pure salvage cost to salvage operators,” he said. “The...

300 Blockbuster stores are closing nationwide, but none are in AlaskaIn the Lower 48, Blockbuster membership cards are becoming about as common as pay phones. Here in Alaska, while video rental stores may be suffering from competition, they’re still hanging on strong. Last week, Dish Network — parent company of Blockbuster — announced it will close about 300 stores nationwide. That’s about 35 percent of all Blockbusters nationwide and means only 500 remain open from a peak of 5,700...

Western Gulf fishermen chime in on catch sharesNext month, the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council will consider a change to catch shares in the Gulf of Alaska groundfish fishery — and western Gulf fishermen will have a bigger voice. The Council took action in October, identifying the purpose and need for a Central Gulf catch share plan. Community members from Kodiak in particular were organized and vocal in their goals and ideas for such a plan, said N...

MTAB questions ferry plansMembers of the Marine Transportation Advisory Board questioned Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Commissioner Pat Kemp and his staff during the board’s meeting Tuesday in Juneau on changes announced last month to ferry procurement plans. While Kemp was acting commissioner of the DOT&PF, the state announced late last year that it was abandoning its plans to order a 350-foot-long Alaska-class...

Fishing boat suffers minor damage in groundingA 56-foot Cordova-based fishing boat was towed to Kodiak on Thursday after running aground and puncturing its hull on Raspberry Island. According to the Coast Guard, the Neptune, homeported in Cordova and owned by China B Fisheries Inc., sent a distress call about 1:30 a.m. Thursday reporting it had grounded on the southern side of Raspberry Island and was taking on water. An Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helic...

Applications accepted for two big fisheries boardsNominations are being sought to fill openings on two of the boards most important to fisheries management in Alaska. On the same day the International Pacific Halibut Commission reopened its application process, state board of fish member Bill Brown resigned with almost a year and a half remaining in his term. Brown told KTOO-FM in Juneau that “personal reasons” and “personalities” played into his decision but dec...

Ferry delayed by elevator troubleThe ferry Kennicott is back in service but running behind schedule after its vehicle elevator malfunctioned and stranded it in Yakutat. With the ferry Tustumena in dry dock for maintenance, the Kennicott is the sole ferry serving Kodiak, and the delay means the cancellation of one Kodiak stop. “To catch the ferry back up to its normal schedule, what they’re taking out is the homer to Kodiak round-trip sailing on (...

Coast Guard cutter Storis listed as National Historic PlaceThe retired Coast Guard cutter Storis has been officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Paul Lusignan, who reviews Alaskan register candidates, confirmed Wednesday that the Storis was officially listed on the last day of 2012. Listing on the register means the federal government has deemed the ship worthy of preservation. Other ships on the list include America’s first nuclear-powered freight...

Rare $5 bill from Fairbanks could be worth $300,000ANCHORAGE (AP) — The $5 bill displayed for decades on Charles Fairbanks IV’s wall was long a treasured family heirloom from Alaska. Now, to the surprise of the grandson of a turn-of-a-century vice president, it’s also become a likely treasure trove. The rare find is expected to fetch as much as $300,000 at auction this month when a Texas auctioneer plans to put it up for bids in Dallas and online as part of the Am...

Estimate: $65 billion for state-owned natural gas pipelineJUNEAU (AP) — A liquefied natural gas project in Alaska could cost more than $65 billion and would represent a mega-project of “unprecedented scale and challenge,” officials behind the project told Gov. Sean Parnell. In a letter to Parnell released by the governor’s office late Wednesday, officials with TransCanada Corp. and the North Slope’s three major players said good progress has been made in pursuing a proje...